One can become a workaholic, especially when he/she is passionate about his/her job or when he/she feels like he/she has a lot to prove. However, everyone needs to strike a balance between work and personal life to maintain his/her physical and mental health and relationships. Here are ten things that one can do to avoid becoming a workaholic:
Regular breaks throughout the day are essential to maintaining your mental and physical health. One should take at least 15 minutes per day, even if it is just sitting in a quiet place or listening to music as he/she works. An individual may even find that taking these breaks can help him/her be more productive when you get back to him/her tasks. Making time for enjoyable activities nourishes one’s mind and body. One should take time for exercising, meditating, pursuing a hobby, walking outside, stretching, or simply step away from the work desk for a few minutes. Taking care of himself/herself will make an individual more productive and efficient when he/she is at work. Taking breaks throughout the day gives the mind a chance to rest and recharge. Planning vacations or long weekends are perfect breaks from the daily grind.
It is easy to stay up late finishing a project, but this is not healthy or sustainable in the long run. Practicing mindfulness meditation or breathing exercises can help reduce stress, increase focus, and get better sleep with a peaceful mind. One should aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night so that he/she is alert and focused during the day and does not burn out from late nights catching up on work.
It can be tempting to answer emails at all hours of the night but having clear boundaries will keep his/her sanity intact and help others understand when they can expect an immediate response from an individual and when they should not expect one until the following day or week. Establishing clear boundaries between work and personal life prevents burnout. This can include setting specific work hours or making a conscious effort to unplug and disconnect from work-related emails and calls during non-working hours. It is better to plan out a working day to ensure that the worker has dedicated time for work and other activities. It is important for an individual to be realistic with one’s schedule and give himself/herself breaks throughout the day to recharge. An individual needs to give his/her mind a break from the constant stimulation and distractions of technology.
Instead of stressing himself/herself out trying to complete too many tasks at once, one should focus on completing each task properly before moving on to the next one instead of rushing through all tasks just for the sake of ticking off a list of tasks quickly. This will save time in the long run because there would not be any need to go back and fix mistakes made due to rushed workmanship earlier on.
Saying "no" to additional work or commitments can be challenging, but it is necessary for an individual to avoid overloading himself/herself with too many responsibilities. Prioritizing the current workload and taking on additional tasks when it is manageable is helpful. One should be frank enough to decline tasks outside his/her job description or not within his/her level of expertise/experience without feeling guilty about it. This prevents an individual from feeling overwhelmed by too much work. It also helps an individual to acknowledge his/her time limits as well as skill level so that whoever has requested certain tasks from him/her knows what their expectations should realistically have realistic expectations about them being fulfilled promptly without compromising the quality of work required from the individual with those skills sets.
Suppose an individual has the liberty to set goals for himself/herself. In that case, he/she should certainly utilize it and set realistic goals for himself/herself so that he/she does not end up feeling exhausted with extra pressure by setting unrealistic targets for himself/herself. By setting achievable goals, the tasks become more manageable. This prevents an individual from becoming overworked and feeling guilty about not meeting higher unachievable goals that he/she had previously set himself/herself; or for someone else. Setting realistic goals for work becomes easy when larger projects are broken down into smaller tasks and the most important tasks are prioritized.
No matter how big or small any accomplishment is, while going, it should be celebrated. This creates motivation rather than feelings of pressure or stress while going through large projects over longer periods of time because it helps break down daunting challenges into smaller controllable steps, which increases self-confidence levels while tackling any challenges.
One should outsource the tasks whenever possible so that important projects can move forward efficiently but free up some valuable time on his/her end, too – this could mean delegating certain non-essential tasks such as research collection, data entry/analysis, content marketing, etc. if needed, depending on what type of business/role the individual has.
One should allow flexibility in terms of timeline by setting deadlines based on milestones rather than specific dates. This allows sufficient room for unexpected roadblocks and ensures temporary pauses would not push everything beyond unacceptable deadlines.
One should surround himself/herself with positive people who believe in work-life balance rather than people who always encourage overtime work sessions. Being positive influences, external sources help prevent an individual from entering toxic cycles, especially when working on big projects which require long periods of dedication over extended timelines. Scheduling time to spend with loved ones and prioritizing relationships with friends and families is helpful. An individual needs to maintain a healthy work-life balance by spending quality time with friends and family who matter most to him/her.
Becoming a workaholic can be detrimental to health and relationships. Establishing boundaries, prioritizing self-care, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance are important. To plan your working day and ensure enough time for the activities listed above, feel free to log in to HelloDr and consult psychologists who can help you to plan your work-life balance.
HelloDr offers Electroencephalography (EEG) device BEGAL to evaluate the calmness of the mind that one can attain through perfect work-life balance. BEGAL monitors the electrical activity of the brain by measuring the EEG signals by evaluating brainwaves. BEGAL understands the difference between brainwaves from a healthy brain and brainwaves from a brain suffering from anxiety. Positive changes in brainwaves due to increasing happy thoughts show that the brain is healthier now. Click here to join the waiting list and place your purchase order to be a proud owner of the new BEGAL.
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